Corn-planter



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. K. THOMPSON.

001m PLANTER.

No. 431,787. Patented July 8,1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. K. THOMPSON.

CORN PLANTER.

No. 431,787. v Patented July 8,1890.

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JOHN K. THOMPSON, OF ARKANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,787, dated July 8, 1890.

. Application filed March 26, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN K. THOMPSON, of Arkansas City, in the county of Cowley and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Corn-Planters, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in corn-planters, and has for its object to provide a means whereby the seed may be dropped from either box as desired or from both at the same time, and also to provide for hilling the corn simultaneously with the planting, and in such manner that the hills will be fully and perfectly formed and plainly visible.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts,

as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the planter. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a cam-wheel employed in connection with the implement, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through one of the drivewheels, a cam-wheel, and a portion of the shifting device.

The frame of the implement consists, usually, of two parallel side beams 10, united by a front cross-bar 11 and a rear cross-bar 12, and between the side beams 10, preferably, three longitudinal intermediate bars or beams 13 are located, the outer of these beams being the main side beam and the beams extension-beams. Upon the center beam 13 the drivers seat is supported. The axle let is located at or near the center of the frame transversely of the same, the said axle being fixedly attached to the several longitudinal beams 10 and 13. Between the outer beams 13 and the side beams 10 the axle is round; but it is squared the remaining portion of its length. Upon the round extremities of the axle, between the side beams 10 and the said outer of the intermediate beams 13, a drive- Serial No. 345,328. (No model.)

wheel 15 is loosely mounted, each of said drive wheels being provided upon its inner face, at the edge, with a clutch-section 16. Upon the opposite or inner face of each drive-wheel a cam-wheel 17 is loosely mounted upon the axle, which cam-wheels are also provided with a clutch-section 18, capable of engaging with the clutch-sections of the drive-wheels. The cam-surface of the-wheel17 is upon its inner face and consists of a rib 19 at the periphery, which rib extends about one-half the circumferenceof the wheel, and is beveled or rounded off at its ends, as illustrated at ctin Fig. 4. Upon the inner face of this cam-wheel a disk 20 is formed or attached, provided with two opposed lugs or projections 21 upon its periphery, one of said lugs being practically in front of one end of the rib 19 and the other to therear of the opposite end of the rib, as is also best shown in Fig. 4.

To the disk 20 a sleeve 22 is attached, as illustrated in Fig. 5, adapted to receive the lower end of a shifting-lever 23, one shiftinglever being provided for each cam-faced wheel. upon suitable standards 24:, projected upward from the frame, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and to each of the standards 24 a rack 25 is secured. Each shifting-lever is provided with an attached thumb-latch 26, adapted for contact with the racks 25. Thus by carrying the levers 23 inward, they being released from contact with the racks, the cam-wheels are thrown out of engagement with the drivewheels, and as each drive-wheel is provided with its own camwheel and shifting-lever it is obvious that one cam-wheel may be left in engagement while the other is idle.

The seed-boxes 27 are located near the rear of the implement, and are supported in any suitable manner, preferably upon the outer of the intermediate bars or beams 13 and the side beams 10. Each box is provided with a transversely-arranged drop-slide 28, of any approved construction, and in the front of the boxes a transverse beam 29 is secured to the frame, the extremities of which beam project slightly beyond the outer faces of the outer beams 13, and upon each projecting end of the said beam 29 a lever 30 is centrally fulcrumed, the rear end of one of said levers The shifting-levers are fulcrumed 'and are heldin constant contact with said wheels by springs 32, as best illustrated in Fig. 1.

From the under face of the cross-beam 29, at I each end, a bracket 33 is downwardly projected, and in each bracket 33 a beam 34' is centrally fulcrumed, which beam at one portion of its length is somewhat diagonahas shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, whereby the forward portion of the beam is somewhat near, although below, the outer frame-beam 13, and the rear end sustains a like relation to the inner face of the side beam 10 of the frame. Each beam 34 has attached to its rear end a downwardly-extending post 35, and to the front face of each post a scraper-blade 36 is secured, which blade may beof any desired formation,-being preferably, however, concaved longitudinally upon its front face, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the forward extremity of each scraperbeam 34 a friction-roller 37 is journaled, which friction-rollers contact with the peripheral surface of the disks 20, attached to the cam wheels. WVhen the forward ends of the scraper beams 34 are depressed, the scraper-blade 36 is elevated and carried out of contact with the ground. This is sought to be accomplished at stated intervals by the lugs or projections 21 upon the disks 20; but it may be efiected, at the will of the operator or driver, through the medium of independent rock-shafts 38, journaled in the frame, having at their outer extremities downwardlyextending arms 39, adapted for contact with the said beams 34 near their forward ends, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and at each side of the central beam 13 of the frame the rock-shafts are further provided with inwardly and upwardly extending arms 40, and each of said arms is connected with a foot-treadle 41, pivoted conveniently in front of the drivers seat to a suitable spindle or rod passing through and attached to the central beam 13.

At each side of the central beam 13, preferably in front of the rock-shaft 38, a lever 42 is fulcrumed, the said levers being within convenient reach of the driver, each of which levers is provided with a suitable rack 43 and thumb-latches 44. Each lever 42 has attached thereto a wire or chain 45, which Wires or chains lead forward and are secured to arms 46, projected upward from rock-shafts 47,independently journaled in the frame. Near the outer end of each of the forward rockmay be sustained against lateral movement by providing for the outer end of each beam a strap 52 or its equivalent.

In'operation the mechanism at either side of the frame may be used separately, or all the mechanism may be made to operate in harmony. In planting, when the cam-Wheels are thrown into engagement with the drivewheels, through the medium of the clutches, the cam-Wheels are revolved, and as the friction-rollers 31 of the levers 30, connected with the seed-drop slides, are brought in alternate contact with the ribs upon the inner face of the cam-wheel and the depressed portion of said wheel, the seed-drop slides are transversely reciprocated and the proper amount of seed dropped from the box to the ground. The slides are to be so arranged, preferably,- that the seed will drop upon each inward and outward movement of the slide, the outward movementbeingaccomplishedwhentherollers 31 are in cont-act with the plain surface of the wheels and the forward movement when said rollers contact'with the cam-surface of the wheels, and as theimplement is drawn forward, the furrow being prepared by the advanced plows 51, the scraper 36 gathers a sufficient quantity of loose dirt to form a hill between each movement of the seed-drop slides, and the said scraper remains in the ground, while its friction-roller 37 is in contact with the plain peripheral surface of the disk 20; but when the roller is engaged by one of the projections 21 on the disk the beam 34 is depressed and the scraper elevated from the ground and not dropped until it has passed the seedpocket. The earth gathered and carried to the seed-pocket by the scraper is smooth and even to form a perfect hill as the scraper is elevated and advances. The depression of the scraper-beams is so timed that the scraper will be elevated only to form a hill, unless the operator desires that they be raised sooner, which may be accomplished by manipulating the pedals 41 and causing the arms 39 of the rock-shafts 38 to bear upon the'beams 34 of the scrapers.

The arrangement of the disk with respect to the cam-surface of the wheel is clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. The disk may be provided with more than two projections 21, and may be adjustably attached to the cam-wheel, and any indicator may be employed to assist the operator in the adjustment of the implement.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a corn-planter, the combination, with the drive-wheel, a cam-wheel adapted to en gage therewith having a partially-encircling peripheral rib formed upon its inner face, and a disk attached to the inner face of the said cam-wheel, provided with two opposed peripheral projections or spurs, of a seed-box mounted upon the frame, a slide reciprocating in said box, a spring-pressed lever pivoted at one end to the slide and provided at its op- IIO posite end with a friction-roller to engage the cam-face of the cam-wheel, and a beam pivoted beneath the frame having a scraper-blade secured at one end and provided at its opposite end with a frictioupulley adapted for engagement with the periphery of the disk of the cam-wheel, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

2. In a corn-planter, the combination,with the drive-wheel, a cam-wheel adapted to engage therewith, having a partially-encircling peripheral rib formed upon its inner face, and a disk attached to the inner face of the said cam-wheel, provided with two opposed peripheral projections or spurs, of a seed-box mounted upon the frame, a slide reciprocating in said box, a spring-pressed lever pivoted at one end to the slide and provided at its opposite end with a friction-roller to engage the cam-face of the cam-wheel, a beam pivoted beneath the frame, having a scraper-blade secured at one end and provided at its opposite end with a friction-pulley adapted for engagement with the periphery of the disk of the cam-wheel, a rock-shaft journaled in the frame, provided with a downwardly-extending arm adapted for engagement with the scraper-beam, a treadle pivoted near the drivers seat on the frame, and a rod-connection between the rock-shaft and the said treadle, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes specified.

3'. In a corn-planter, the combination, with the drive-wheel, a cam-wheel adapted to engage therewith, having a partially-encircling peripheral rib. formed upon its inner face, and a disk attached to the inner face of the said cam-wheel, provided with two opposed peripheral projections or spurs, of a seed-box mounted upon the frame, a slide reciprocating in said box, a spring-pressed lever pivoted at one end to the slide and provided at its opposite end with a friction-roller to engage the cam-face of the cam-wheel, a beam pivoted beneath the frame, having a scraper-blade secured at one end and provided at its oppo site end with a friction-pulley adapted for engagement with the periphery of the disk of the cam-wheel, a rock-shaft journaled in the frame, provided with a downwardly-extendin g arm adapted for engagement with the scraperbeam, a treadle pivoted near the drivers' seat on the frame, a rod-connection between, the rock-shaft and the said treadle, a second rockshaft journaled near the forward portion of the frame, a plow linked to the said rockshaft, a lever fulcrumed upon the frame, and a link-connection between the said lever and the forward rock-shaft, and means, substantially as shown and described, for throwing the cam-wheel into and out of engagement with the drive-wheel, as and for the purpose specified.

i J. K. THOMPSON.

Witnesses: I

OLIVER J. SoHNEoK, SAMUEL NEWELL, Jr. 

